n what could severely dent the Delhi Police's carefully crafted pro-people image and might constitute an endgame for the careers of over a dozen of its personnel, the Delhi government is likely to recommend the framing of murder and conspiracy charges against those associated with the alleged custodial death of a 35-year-old man in Nand Nagri here on Monday.
The local police's claims of having had no hand in the death of Shahnawaz Chaudhary, a local resident out on parole after the birth of his three-month-old son two days ago, were contested by the District Magistrate (DM) of Shahdara at the conclusion of an inquiry constituted to investigate the matter under section 173 of the Criminal Procedure Code (Cr.PC).
Hours after Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia called on Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung to discuss the incident, the DM, in the presence of the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), told Divisional Commissioner (Delhi) that an inquiry in the incident had not “ruled out that assault had led to the death of the victim”.
Shahnawaz, who had been convicted in a criminal case apparently a year ago in Sultanpuri, developed sudden and unknown medical complications inside the police van on the way to the police station which forced them to rush him to hospital where he is alleged to have died.
The Police have claimed he was drunk at the time of the incident – which took place at a traffic signal near Gagan Cinema around 5 p.m. on Monday -- which his family has denied based on the premise that it was just late afternoon at that time and it was unlikely he would ride a motorcycle in a drunken condition with his wife and infant son behind him.
Recommending the registration of a murder case in addition to the charge of criminal conspiracy against “12 to 13 policemen posted at the Nand Nagari police station”, the DM, according to a senior government functionary, submitted that the probe into the incident was “almost complete” and an official report related to the findings would be filed on Friday.
“The inquiry has basically raised queries, and sought answers, for separate aspects pertaining to the case such as the reason for the victim's detention, the possible use of (non-required) force, the detention of the victim's wife and her presence in the police station at 2:30 a.m., a video exhibiting the victim being subjected to assault and the roles of 12 to 13 policemen present in the vicinity of the police station at the time of the incident,” said the official.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA from Seemapuri Rajendra Gautam, who met Shanawaz's family, said his wife, in her statement before the magistrate, had alleged that after beating Shahnawaz, the police bundled him in the police vehicle where three policemen “sat on” him while the fourth one kept beating him.
“She has also alleged that she was coerced into making a false statement about the whole incident to shield the policemen accused of torturing and killing her husband which seems to explain her presence at the police station so late at night; the question is whether the policemen who ensured she was present were authorised to do so and whether procedures were followed,” the official added.
The inquiry has basically
raised queries and sought answers for separate aspects pertaining to the case